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HUGO WALK-OFF HOMER CAPS BIG WIN FOR STRIPES AT WNTDP

The Stripes took down the Stars 10-9 in the first of the four-game series
October 12, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS 0 3 1 3 0 2 0 9 14 2 STRIPES 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 10 12 2
Win: O. Pichardo Loss: M. Meidlinger Save: None Box Score | Play-by-Play |
Cumulative Stats COCOA, Fla. - Alex Hugo (Olathe,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS 0 3 1 3 0 2 0 9 14 2 STRIPES 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 10 12 2

Win: O. Pichardo Loss: M. Meidlinger Save: None Box Score | Play-by-Play |
Cumulative Stats

COCOA, Fla. - Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.) launched a walk-off home run to secure
the Stripes’ 10-9 victory over the Stars in the first game of the Women’s
National Team Development Program (NTDP) on Monday, October 11, at the Launch
Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida.

The Stripes broke onto the scoreboard first with three runs in the bottom of the
first and the Stars equaled that in the top of the second to start a
back-and-forth contest that featured scoring in all but four frames. After the
Stripes grabbed a 5-3 advantage in the second, the Stars came roaring back to
take a 7-6 lead – their first of the game – in the top of the third. The lead
didn’t last long as the Stripes went ahead, 8-7, in the very next frame but the
Stars were able to tie it once again at 9-9 in the sixth before Hugo’s homer
proved to be the difference in the seventh.

Jade Gortarez (Riverside, Calif.) led the Stripes offense with three hits,
followed closely by Maggie Paulovich (Albany, Calif.) and Remi Schaber (Memphis,
Tenn.) who both tallied two hits in the contest. Paulovich and Jill Albayati
(Anaheim, Calif.) led the Stripes in RBIs with two each. Four Stars players also
collected multi-hit games, including Jamie Baum (Los Altos, Calif.), Amanda
Gianelloni (Napoleonville, La.), Ashton Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.), and Malaika
Underwood (San Diego, Calif.).

Olivia Pichardo (Forest Hills, N.Y.) earned the win in the contest after
throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Stripes while allowing just one
hit. Meggie Meidlinger (Sterling, Va.) suffered the loss after allowing one run
on two hits in 1.1 innings of work for the Stars.

Key Moments

* Gortarez led off the bottom of the second with a single before coming around
to score the first run of the game on an RBI single off the bat of Albayati
to give the Stripes a 1-0 lead.
* An RBI double from Schaber and an RBI single be Denae Benites (Las Vegas,
Nev.) made it 3-0 for the Stripes through one inning.
* The Stars answered in the next frame as Lansdell, Anna Kimbrell (Fort Mill,
S.C.), and Chloe Aldrich (Friendswood, Texas) led off the top of the third
with three singles in a row that made it a 3-1 game.
* Alana Martinez (Cooper City, Fla.) kept the momentum going with the fourth
consecutive single for the Stars to load the bases before Aldrich took
advantage of a Stripes miscue to score and cut the Stars deficit to one.
* The Stripes then added to their lead with a bases-loaded walk and a wild
pitch that made it 5-3 in the bottom of the second.
* The Stars got one back in the top of the third courtesy of a sacrifice fly
off the bat of Martinez to make it a one-run game.
* But Gortarez extended the Stripes lead to 6-4 with her third single of the
game in the bottom of the third that brought in Paloma Benach (Washington,
D.C.).
* The Stars tied the game once again in the top of the fourth with a
bases-loaded single by Lansdell and got the lead with a bases-loaded walk by
Kimbrell one batter later that made it 7-6.
* The Stripes had another immediate answer in the bottom of the fourth though,
plating two runs of their own to take back an 8-7 lead before adding added an
insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on a Stars error.
* After the Stars loaded the bases themselves in the top of the sixth, Delaney
Dunham (Mont Belvieu, Texas) crushed a two-out double to right that tied the
game at 9-9.
* With one out in the top of the seventh, Hugo launched a bomb over the left
field wall to finish off the 10-9 victory for the Stripes.

Notable Information

* The Stripes now lead the 2021 Women’s NTDP series 1-0 over the Stars.
* The Stars and Stripes scored 19 total runs and tallied 26 total hits in the
first game of the series.
* Gortarez finished 3-for-3 with three singles for the Stripes in the contest.
* Aldrich and Dunham both collected two RBIs for the Stars on Monday.

On Deck

* October 12: Stars vs. Stripes (1:00 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)
* October 13: Stars vs. Stripes (2:00 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)
* October 14: Stars vs. Stripes (12:15 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

View More
View Less

STRIPES CLINCH WNTDP SERIES WITH TWO-HIT SHUTOUT OF STARS

Kelsie Whitmore tossed four scoreless and hitless innings in start for Stripes
October 14, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 4 6 4 STARS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
Win: K. Whitmore Loss: N. Ryan Save: J. Albayati Box Score | Play-by-Play |
Cumulative Stats COCOA, Fla. - Behind a stellar start from

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 4 6 4 STARS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3

Win: K. Whitmore Loss: N. Ryan Save: J. Albayati Box Score | Play-by-Play |
Cumulative Stats

COCOA, Fla. - Behind a stellar start from Kelsie Whitmore (Temecula, Calif.) in
which she did not allow a hit or a walk in four innings, the Stripes shut out
the Stars, 4-0, to clinch the 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program
(NTDP) on Thursday at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida. The
Stripes finish the week with a 3-1 advantage over the Stars in the four-game
series.

The Stripes scored first for the fourth time in the series with two runs in the
second inning and added another in the fourth for an early 3-0 lead. Whitmore
held the Stars hitless and scoreless through the first four innings with just
three batters reaching base on three Stripes errors. In the fifth, the Stars
threatened to break onto the scoreboard with the bases loaded and one out but
the Stripes were able to escape the jam with no damage before adding one more
run in the seventh to clinch the 4-0 victory and the series.

The Stripes were led at the plate by Jade Gortarez (Riverside, Calif.), who went
2-for-4, and Jill Albayati, who finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs. In addition to
her dominant performance on the mound, Whitmore also collected a hit and scored
a run for the Stripes in Thursday’s victory. Skylar Kaplan (Baltimore, Md.) and
Ashton Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.) were responsible for the Stars’ two hits in the
contest.

With her four perfect innings of work, Whitmore earned the win while Naomi Ryan
(North Chesterfield, Va.) was tagged with the loss after allowing two hits, two
runs, and three walks in her second start of the series for the Stars.

Key Moments

* The Stripes took the first lead of the game in the top of the second when
Albayati hit a bases-clearing double to right that made it 2-0.
* Two innings later, Albayati collected her third RBI of the game when she
brought in Elizabeth Greenwood (Amherst, N.H.) with a groundout for a 3-0
Stripes lead.
* A Kaplan single, a Stripes error, and a walk loaded the bases for the Stars
in the bottom of the fifth but the Stripes’ Paloma Benach (Washington, D.C.)
induced two fly outs that ended the inning and kept it a three-run game.
* Whitmore hit a single in the top of the seventh for the Stripes and advanced
to third with a stolen base and a Gortarez single before scoring on a Sarah
Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) sacrifice fly for the final 4-0 score.

Notable Information

* With Thursday’s victory, the Stripes claim the four-game 2021 Women’s NTDP
series, 3-1.
* Lansdell finished the series with an event-best .625 (5-for-8) batting
average.
* Albayati led the way in RBIs with six while Gortarez’s seven hits paced both
teams at the Women’s NTDP.
* Albayati collected the most walks of anyone in the series with four in four
games.
* Whitmore finished a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases and led the event in wins
with two in her two starts on the mound and innings pitched with 7.0
throughout the week.
* Peyton Coria (Perris, Calif.) led the event in strikeouts, tallying eight
in 4.1 innings of work.

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

View More
View Less

GAMEDAY: STARS AND STRIPES SET TO FACE OFF IN WNTDP FINALE

Game four of the Stars vs. Stripes series is set for a 12:15 pm ET first pitch
October 14, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES STARS Live
Stats COCOA, Fla. - The 2021 Women's National Team Development Program (NTDP)
wraps up on Thursday with

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES STARS

Live Stats

COCOA, Fla. - The 2021 Women's National Team Development Program (NTDP) wraps up
on Thursday with game four between the Stars and Stripes at the Launch Pad
Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida. The Stars got their first win of the series in
game three on Wednesday after the Stripes took games one and two to start the
week. In the finale, the Stars will look to finish with a series tie while the
Stripes are battling to earn a series victory.

Kelsie Whitmore (Temecula, Calif.) will get her second start of the series for
the Stripes in the series finale after earning the win with a three-inning
scoreless start in game two. Naomi Ryan (North Chesterfield, Va.) will get her
second appearance of the series and first start for the Stars after tossing 2.1
scoreless innings of relief in game two.

The Women's National Team program takes the field for the first time since 2019
at the 2021 Women's NTDP. In 2019, Team USA went 7-0 in the COPABE Women's
Pan-American Championships to win the program's first gold medal since 2015. The
2019 Women's National Team outscored its opponents 124-20 in the tournament,
held a cumulative .500 batting average, and hit a record 11 home runs en route
to the gold. The dominating performance also earned the squad USA Baseball Team
of the Year honors for 2019.

Five-time Team USA alum Veronica Alvarez, who became the first woman to be named
USA Baseball’s Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year after leading the 2019 Women’s
National Team to the program’s first gold since 2015, will serve as the 2021
Women’s NTDP Field Coordinator. She will be joined on staff by Team USA alum
Alex Oglesby, who served as an assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in
2019 and will manage the Stars team in 2021, and seven-time Women’s National
Team alum and two-time USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Tamara Holmes, who
will lead the Stripes squad.

Additionally, Lou Colon and Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist Mike Kinkade will
serve as roving instructors and assistant coaches at the event, joined by Jorge
Correa (Correa Pitching Academy), Jenny Dalton-Hill, Jarend Jones, USA Baseball
Director of Player Development Jim Koerner, and Reynol Mendoza (Eagle Pass High
School; Eagle Pass, Texas) as additional evaluators and coaches during the
event.

Notable Information

* The Stars got their first win of the Women's NTDP series in game three with a
6-3 defeat of the Stripes on Wednesday.
* The Stripes lead the 2021 Women's NTDP series 2-1 after earning a walk-off
10-9 win in game one and a 6-1 victory in game two.
* The Stripes can clinch the Women's NTDP series with a win in game four on
Thursday.
* Hugo hit the first home run of the series on Monday, launching a walk-off
homer over the left field fence to secure the Stripes' win.
* Albayati leads the Women’s NTDP with a .600 batting average (3-for-5) and
four walks.
* Gortarez is pacing both teams in hits at the Women’s NTDP with five through
three games.
* Schaber has a Women’s NTDP-leading four RBIs so far this week, followed
closely by Albayati who has racked up three.
* The 2021 Women's NTDP roster was announced on Saturday, October 9, and
features 38 of the best women's baseball players in the country.
* The 38 members of the 2021 Women's NTDP represent 19 different states across
the country.
* The Women's NTDP roster features two previous USA Baseball Sportswoman of the
Year honorees, including 2015 winner Malaika Underwood (San Diego, Calif.)
and 2019 recipient Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.).
* Eight members of the 2021 Women's NTDP roster were selected from the first
ever USA Baseball Girls Camp that took place October 7-9 in Cocoa, Florida.
* The roster also features 12 athletes that have suited up for the red, white,
and blue in previous years and 10 who have played for Team USA multiple times
in their careers, including 10-time alum Underwood.
* The Women's NTDP coaching staff also features four Women's National Team
alums, including seven-time alumna and two-time Sportswoman of the Year
(2012, 2016) Tamara Holmes.
* Current ESPN college softball analyst Jenny Dalton-Hill is a member of the
2021 Women's NTDP coaching staff and also played for Team USA in 2010.
* Women's NTDP Field Coordinator Veronica Alvarez played on the Women's
National Team five times in her career and every team she played on medaled
in international competition, including the 2015 U.S. team that won gold at
the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

View More
View Less

STARS CLAIM FIRST VICTORY IN GAME THREE OF WNTDP SERIES

The Stars rallied twice in the contest to complete the 6-3 comeback win
October 13, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 6 9 1 STRIPES 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 6 4
Win: D. Dunham Loss: M. Sementelli Save: M. Meidlinger Box Score | Play-by-Play
| Cumulative Stats COCOA, Fla. - The Stars rallied from

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 6 9 1 STRIPES 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 6 4

Win: D. Dunham Loss: M. Sementelli Save: M. Meidlinger Box Score | Play-by-Play
| Cumulative Stats

COCOA, Fla. - The Stars rallied from a one-run deficit twice on Wednesday to
claim a 6-3 victory in game three of the Women’s National Team Development
Program (NTDP) and hand the Stripes their first loss of the series at the Launch
Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida. The Stripes now lead the four-game Women’s
NTDP series 2-1 with one game left to play.

The Stripes struck first for the third time in as many games with one run in the
bottom of the first but the Stars stayed close through the first three innings.
Both teams scored in the fourth as the Stars tied it up in the top half and the
Stripes retook a one-run lead in the bottom half before the Stars came storming
back with four runs in the fifth for a 5-2 advantage. The teams traded runs once
again in the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh as the Stars held
off a Stripes rally to claim the 6-3 victory.

Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Ashton Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.) paced
the Stars offense with multi-hit games. Both players tallied RBIs in the contest
while Lahners also scored a run in the win. Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.) and Olivia
Pichardo (Forest Hills, N.Y.) had two hits each for the Stripes.

Delaney Dunham (Mont Belvieu, Texas) earned the win after throwing two innings
of relief in which she gave up just two hits and did not allow a walk or an
earned run. Marti Sementelli (West Newton, Mass.) suffered the loss after
allowing three earned runs on four hits in one inning of relief. Meggie
Meidlinger (Sterling, Va.) tossed the final two innings of the game for the
Stars and earned the save after giving up just one run on one hit.

Key Moments

* After Jill Albayati (Anaheim, Calif.) singled to lead off the bottom of the
first and stole second to get into scoring position, Jade Gortarez
(Riverside, Calif.) brought her home and gave the Stripes a 1-0 lead with an
RBI single up the middle.
* Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs for the Stars in the top
of the fourth and Anna Kimbrell (Fort Mill, S.C.) took advantage with a
sacrifice fly that brought in Lahners and tied the game at one run apiece.
* The Stripes answered in the very next frame to retake a 2-1 lead as Remi
Schaber (Memphis, Tenn.) reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to
score on a double off the bat of Pichardo.
* The Stars tied the game once again in the top of the fifth as Alana Martinez
(Cooper City, Fla.) reached on a Stripes miscue and Amanda Gianelloni
(Napoleonville, La.) brought her in with an RBI single to make it 2-2.
* The Stars took their first lead of the game in dominant fashion in the top of
the fifth, scoring three runs courtesy of RBI singles from Lahners and Ashton
Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.), and an RBI groundout from Jamie Baum (Los Altos,
Calif.) for a 5-2 advantage.
* The Stripes got one back in the bottom of the sixth when Schaber hit a
bases-loaded sacrifice fly that allowed Albayati to score to make it a 5-3
game.
* After a leadoff single by Baum in the top of the seventh, the Stars extended
their advantage back to three runs when Peyton Coria (Perris, Calif.) brought
Baum in with an RBI single that finished off the 6-3 victory.

Notable Information

* The Stripes now lead the Women's NTDP series 2-1.
* In addition to leading the Stripes at the plate, Pichardo also got the start
on the mound in game three and threw 3.1 innings in which she allowed just
one run on three hits and struck out a game-high four batters.
* Elise Berger (Shelburne, Vt.) got her second start of the series for the
Stars on Wednesday and gave up just one run on three hits without allowing a
walk in two innings of work.
* Albayati leads the Women’s NTDP with a .600 batting average (3-for-5) and
four walks.
* Gortarez is pacing both teams in hits at the Women’s NTDP with five through
three games.
* Schaber has a Women’s NTDP-leading four RBIs so far this week, followed
closely by Albayati who has racked up three.

On Deck

* October 14: Stars vs. Stripes (12:15 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

View More
View Less

GAMEDAY: STRIPES LOOK TO CLINCH WNTDP SERIES ON WEDNESDAY

Game three of the series is set for 4 pm EDT at the Launch Pad Sports Complex
October 13, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS STRIPES Live
Stats COCOA, Fla. - Game three of the 2021 Women's National Team Development
Program (NTDP) is set

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STARS STRIPES

Live Stats

COCOA, Fla. - Game three of the 2021 Women's National Team Development Program
(NTDP) is set for a 4 p.m. EDT first pitch at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in
Cocoa, Florida. After claiming a 10-9 walk-off victory in game one and a 6-1
defeat of the Stars in game two, the Stripes can clinch the Women's NTDP series
with another win on Wednesday.

Elise Berger (Shelburne, Vt.) will get her second start of the Women's NTDP for
the Stars on Wednesday after getting the ball to start on Monday. Olivia
Pichardo (Forest Hills, N.Y.) will start for the Stripes after picking up the
win in game one with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Notable Information

* The Stripes lead the 2021 Women's NTDP series 2-0 after earning a walk-off
10-9 win in game one and a 6-1 victory in game two.
* The Stripes can clinch the Women's NTDP series with a win in game three on
Wednesday.
* Hugo hit the first home run of the series on Monday, launching a walk-off
homer over the left field fence to secure the Stripes' win.
* Ashton Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.) and Jill Albayati (Anaheim, Calif.) are both
hitting .667 (2-for-3) through two games to lead the Women’s NTDP.
* Albayati also leads both the Stars and Stripes in walks with three so far
through two games.
* The 2021 Women's NTDP roster was announced on Saturday, October 9, and
features 38 of the best women's baseball players in the country.
* The 38 members of the 2021 Women's NTDP represent 19 different states across
the country.
* The Women's NTDP roster features two previous USA Baseball Sportswoman of the
Year honorees, including 2015 winner Malaika Underwood (San Diego, Calif.)
and 2019 recipient Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.).
* Eight members of the 2021 Women's NTDP roster were selected from the first
ever USA Baseball Girls Camp that took place October 7-9 in Cocoa, Florida.
* The roster also features 12 athletes that have suited up for the red, white,
and blue in previous years and 10 who have played for Team USA multiple times
in their careers, including 10-time alum Underwood.
* The Women's NTDP coaching staff also features four Women's National Team
alums, including seven-time alumna and two-time Sportswoman of the Year
(2012, 2016) Tamara Holmes.
* Current ESPN college softball analyst Jenny Dalton-Hill is a member of the
2021 Women's NTDP coaching staff and also played for Team USA in 2010.
* Women's NTDP Field Coordinator Veronica Alvarez played on the Women's
National Team five times in her career and every team she played on medaled
in international competition, including the 2015 U.S. team that won gold at
the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

On Deck

* October 14: Stars vs. Stripes (12:15 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

View More
View Less

STRIPES USE EARLY OFFENSE TO SECURE 6-1 VICTORY OVER STARS

Four Stripes pitchers combined to allow just two hits and one run in the win
October 12, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 6 6 0 STARS 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1
Win: K. Whitmore Loss: P. Coria Save: None Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative
Stats COCOA, Fla. - The Stripes offense put up

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 6 6 0 STARS 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1

Win: K. Whitmore Loss: P. Coria Save: None Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative
Stats

COCOA, Fla. - The Stripes offense put up four runs in the first two innings and
the pitching staff allowed just one run on two hits to secure a 6-1 victory over
the Stars in game two of the 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program
(NTDP) at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida, on Tuesday.

For the second game in a row, the Stripes offense wasted no time and scored in
the first available opportunity to take an early lead that they never
relinquished. A pair of runs in the first, second, and sixth innings put the
Stripes squad up 6-0 before the Stars broke onto the scoreboard in the bottom
half of the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. That was all the Stripes pitchers would
allow though as they shut down the Stars offense with a three up, three down
bottom of the seventh to claim the victory.

Remi Schaber (Memphis, Tenn.) led the Stripes offense with a 2-for-3 day at the
plate, scoring a run and picking up two RBIs in the win. Kelsie Whitmore
(Temecula, Calif.) finished the day 1-for-3 with three runs scored and two
walks. In total, the Stripes drew nine base-on-balls and tallied three doubles.
Chloe Aldrich (Friendswood, Texas) and Jamie Baum (Los Altos, Calif.) picked the
Stars' two hits in the loss.

In addition to her work at the plate, Whitmore got the start on the mound for
the Stripes and earned the win with three innings of scoreless work, allowing
just one hit and one walk. Peyton Coria (Perris, Calif.) got the ball for the
Stars and was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs in 1.2 innings.

Key Moments

* The Stripes got off to another quick start, using two bases-loaded walks in
the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead.
* Schaber added two more with a two-RBI base knock to give the Stripes a 4-0
lead in the top of the second.
* Kelsie Whitmore made it 5-0 in favor of the Stripes in the top of the sixth
when she doubled to lead off the frame, stole third, and came home on a Stars
miscue.
* Denae Benites (Las Vegas, Nev.) added another run to make it 6-0 in favor of
the Stripes with an RBI single that scored Schaber, who had reached on a
hit-by-pitch two batters earlier.
* The Stars finally broke onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when
Gianelloni drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a Baum single that
made it a 6-1 game.
* The Stars comeback fell short though as Schaber also dominated on the mound,
inducing a groundout and two pop ups to close out the Stripes’ 6-1 victory.

Notable Information

* The Stripes now lead the Women’s NTDP series 2-0.
* Ashton Lansdell (Marietta, Ga.) and Jill Albayati (Anaheim, Calif.) are both
hitting .667 (2-for-3) through two games to lead the Women’s NTDP.
* Albayati also leads both the Stars and Stripes in walks with three so far
through two games.
* Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.) hit the lone home run of the Women’s NTDP when she
launched a walk-off bomb for the Stripes in game one on Monday evening.

On Deck

* October 13: Stars vs. Stripes (2:00 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)
* October 14: Stars vs. Stripes (12:15 p.m. EDT; Cocoa, Fla.; Launch Pad Sports
Complex)

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

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GAMEDAY: WOMEN'S NTDP KICKS OFF STARS VS. STRIPES SERIES

Game one of the four-game intrasquad series is set for a 4:05 p.m. ET first
pitch at Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida
October 11, 2021
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES STARS Live
Stats COCOA, Fla. - Following the conclusion of the 2021 USA Baseball Girls
Camp, action begins

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E STRIPES STARS

Live Stats

COCOA, Fla. - Following the conclusion of the 2021 USA Baseball Girls Camp,
action begins at the 2021 Women's National Team Development Program (NTDP) with
game one between the Stars and Stripes at 4:05 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 11,
at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida.

Right-handed pitcher Marti Sementelli (West Newton, Mass.) will start on the
mound for the Stripes. Sementelli has played for the Women's National Team eight
times in her career (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). Elise
Berger (Shelburne, Vt.), who was invited to the Women's NTDP from the Girls
Camp, will get the ball to start for the Stars.

Notable Information

* The 2021 Women's NTDP roster was announced on Saturday, October 9, and
features 38 of the best women's baseball players in the country.
* The 38 members of the 2021 Women's NTDP represent 19 different states across
the country.
* The Women's NTDP roster features two previous USA Baseball Sportswoman of the
Year honorees, including 2015 winner Malaika Underwood (San Diego, Calif.)
and 2019 recipient Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.).
* Eight members of the 2021 Women's NTDP roster were selected from the first
ever USA Baseball Girls Camp that took place October 7-9 in Cocoa, Florida.
* The roster also features 12 athletes that have suited up for the red, white,
and blue in previous years and 10 who have played for Team USA multiple times
in their careers, including 10-time alum Underwood.
* The Women's NTDP coaching staff also features four Women's National Team
alums, including seven-time alumna and two-time Sportswoman of the Year
(2012, 2016) Tamara Holmes.
* Current ESPN college softball analyst Jenny Dalton-Hill is a member of the
2021 Women's NTDP coaching staff and also played for Team USA in 2010.
* Women's NTDP Field Coordinator Veronica Alvarez played on the Women's
National Team five times in her career and every team she played on medaled
in international competition, including the 2015 U.S. team that won gold at
the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

On Deck

Social

* Stay tuned to @USABaseballWNT on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about
the Women's National Team program.

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USA BASEBALL REVEALS 2021 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ROSTER

The 2021 Women’s NTDP will take place October 9-14 at the Launch Pad Sports
Complex in Cocoa, Florida
October 9, 2021
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COCOA, Fla. – USA Baseball today announced the 38-player 2021 Women’s National
Team Development Program (NTDP) roster, following the completion of the first
ever Girls Camp. The 2021 Women’s NTDP will take place October 9-14 at the
Launch Pad Sports Complex and will be led by five-time Women’s National Team

The Women’s NTDP offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA
Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The
program includes skill development sessions, an intrasquad series between Stars
and Stripes teams, and exposure to the Women’s National Team staff.

Of the 38 athletes invited to this year’s Women’s NTDP, eight were selected from
the first ever USA Baseball Girls Camp that took place from October 7-9 at the
Launch Pad Sports Complex. Players aged 14-19 from across the country competed
in the three-day event and further developed their skills through instructional
workouts and game play while being coach by previous USA Baseball Women’s
National Team staff.

“We are thrilled to announce the 38 players selected to participate in this
year’s Women’s National Team Development Program,” said Alvarez. “This roster is
an exciting combination of veteran players and young players that we are looking
to develop for the future. We cannot wait to get started and we look forward to
watching the exponential growth of these young girls as their limits are pushed
by our returning athletes taking their own game to the next level at this unique
development opportunity.”

The 38 players participating in the 2021 Women’s NTDP represent 19 different
states. Eleven of the athletes are new to USA Baseball national team
programming, including 25 that have participated in one of Major League Baseball
and USA Baseball’s joint girls baseball development opportunities, created to
foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States.

In total, 12 of the 38 invitees have represented the red, white, and blue on
previous Women’s National Teams. The roster features 12 members of the 2019
Women’s National Team that won gold at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American
Championships, as well as five athletes that helped Team USA claim gold at the
Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. Additionally, 18 of the selected athletes have
participated in a past Women’s NTDP.

Ten players on the 2021 Women’s NTDP roster have donned the stars and stripes
multiple times in their careers, including ten-time Malaika Underwood (San
Diego, Calif.), who holds the USA Baseball record for most national team
appearances. Underwood is followed closely by nine-time alum Anna Kimbrell (Fort
Mill, S.C.) and eight-time alum Marti Sementelli (West Newton, Mass.).

In addition, Underwood and four-time Women’s National Team alum Meggie
Meidlinger (Sterling, Va.) were both members of the 2006 Women’s National Team
that earned the program’s second consecutive world championship at the
International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s World Cup.

Alvarez, who became the first woman to be named USA Baseball’s Rod Dedeaux Coach
of the Year after leading the 2019 Women’s National Team to the program’s first
gold since 2015, will serve as the 2021 Women’s NTDP Field Coordinator. She will
be joined on staff by Team USA alum Alex Oglesby, who served as an assistant
coach for the Women’s National Team in 2019 and will manage the Stars team in
2021, and seven-time Women’s National Team alum and two-time USA Baseball
Sportswoman of the Year Tamara Holmes, who will lead the Stripes squad.

For more information on the Women’s National Team Development Program, please
follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter or visit USABaseball.com.

The 2021 Women’s NTDP roster is as follows:

* 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program roster:
* (Name; Position; Hometown)
* Jill Albayati; RHP/IF; Anaheim, Calif.^
* Chloe Aldrich; OF/IF; Friendswood, Texas~
* Jaime Baum; RHP/IF; Los Altos, Calif.^
* Kaija Bazzano; C/IF; Sebastopol, Calif.
* Paloma Benach; LHP/IF; Washington, D.C.~
* Denae Benites; IF/RHP; Las Vegas, Nev.^*
* Elise Berger; RHP/IF; Shelburne, Vt.~
* Janelle Calvet; IF/RHP; Deerfield, Fla.~
* Peyton Coria; RHP/IF; Perris, Calif.~
* Delaney Dunham; OF/LHP; Mont Belvieu, Texas^
* Felicity Fonseca; IF/LHP; Port St. Lucie, Fla.
* Amanda Gianelloni; IF/OF; Napoleonville, La.^*
* Jade Gortarez; IF/RHP; Riverside, Calif.^*
* Elizabeth Greenwood; C/OF; Amherst, N.H.
* Alex Hugo; IF/OF; Olathe, Kan.^*
* Kelli Ann Jenkins; RHP; Potomac, Md.
* Madison Jennings; IF/RHP; Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
* Sarah Johnson; OF/IF; Charlotte, N.C.
* Alexia Jorge; C/IF; Lyndhurst, N.J.^*
* Skylar Kaplan; P/IF; Baltimore, Md.
* Anna Kimbrell; C; Fort Mill, S.C.^*
* Kylee Lahners; IF; Laguna Hills, Calif.^*
* Ashton Lansdell; IF/RHP; Marietta, Ga.^*
* Alana Martinez; RHP/IF; Cooper City, Fla.~
* Kate Maston; LHP/IF; Coral Springs, Fla.
* Meredith McFadden; C/IF; Charlotte, N.C.
* Meggie Meidlinger; RHP/IF; Sterling, Va.^*
* Maggie Paulovich; IF/C; Albany, Calif.~
* Oliva Pichardo; RHP/OF; Forest Hills, N.Y.~
* Katherine Reynolds; RHP; Belmont, Mass.^
* Aspen Robinson; OF/RHP; Folsom, Calif.
* Naomi Ryan; LHP/IF; North Chesterfield, Va.~
* Remi Schaber; IF/RHP; Memphis, Tenn.^
* Marti Sementelli; RHP; West Newton, Mass.^*
* Paige Sneddon; UTIL; Pittsburgh, Pa.
* Malaika Underwood; IF; San Diego, Calif.^*
* Gabby Velez; IF/RHP; New York, N.Y.
* Kelsie Whitmore; OF/RHP; Temecula, Calif.^*
*
* *Denotes USA Baseball National Team alum
* ^Denotes past Women’s NTDP participant
* ~Denotes 2021 Girls Camp participant

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USA BASEBALL NAMES 2021 WOMEN'S NTDP, GIRLS CAMP STAFFS

2019 Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Veronica Alvarez to serve as Field
Coordinator in 2021
September 29, 2021
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CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced the coaching staffs for the 2021
Women’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) and the first-ever USA Baseball
Girls Camp, led by five-time Women’s National Team alum and 2019 USA Baseball
Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Veronica Alvarez as the Field Coordinator. The
Girls Camp will be held at the Launch Pad Sports Complex in Cocoa, Florida, from
October 7-9, followed immediately by the 2021 Women’s NTDP from October 10-14.

Players aged 14-19 from across the country will compete in the three-day Girls
Camp and further develop their skills through instructional workouts and game
play while being coached by previous USA Baseball Women’s National Team staff.
At the conclusion of the camp, six players will be selected to attend the
invite-only Women’s NTDP. The Women’s NTDP is a highly competitive, 40-player
event that will feature a Stars and Stripes intrasquad series, as well as skill
development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and exposure to USA
Baseball staff and Women’s National Team coaches.

Joining Alvarez on the Women’s NTDP staff are Team USA alum Alex Oglesby, who
served as an assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in 2019 and will
manage the Stars team in 2021, and seven-time Women’s National Team alum and
two-time USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Tamara Holmes, who will lead the
Stripes squad. Additionally, Lou Colon and Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist
Mike Kinkade will serve as roving instructors and assistant coaches at the
event.

“We are very excited to announce the coaching staffs for our first-ever Girls
Camp, as well as the 2021 Women’s National Team Development Program,” said Ann
Claire Roberson, USA Baseball’s Assistant Director of Baseball Operations. “This
staff brings an incredible amount of baseball experience that spans every part
of the game from the youth and collegiate levels to the professional and
international stages. We are looking forward to all the knowledge these coaches
will bring to this unparalleled development opportunity to help enhance the
skills of the athletes both on and off the field.”

Alvarez will be the Field Coordinator at both the Women’s NTDP and the Girls
Camp in 2021 after playing for the Women’s National Team five times and being
named to the coaching staff three times, including twice as a manager (2019,
2020). Under her direction, the 2019 squad finished the COPABE Women’s
Pan-American Championships with a perfect 7-0 record and the program’s first
gold medal since the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, outscoring opponents 124-20 en
route to being named USA Baseball’s 2019 Team of the Year.

Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has been at the forefront of
the collaboration between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball to foster the
next generation of female baseball players in the United States, serving as a
coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2019 and the Girls Baseball
Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp in 2018 and 2019. She has also
coached for the Oakland Athletics at Major League Baseball Spring Training since
2019.

Oglesby, who helped lead the 2019 Women’s National Team on its dominant run to
gold at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships as an assistant coach,
will manage the Stars squad at the Women’s NTDP. Oglesby was also a member of
the inaugural Women’s National Team that won the program’s first world
championship in 2004.

Joining Oglesby on the Stars staff will be assistant coaches Jarend Jones and
Jim Koerner, as well as Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas) Head Coach
Reynol Mendoza as the team’s pitching coach.

The Stripes team at the Women’s NTDP will be led by Holmes. The seven-time Team
USA alum won USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year honors in 2012 and 2016 and
has helped lead the Women’s National Team to two gold medals (2006, 2015), two
silver medals (2012, 2014), and one bronze (2010) in her career.

Holmes will be joined on the Stripes staff by Jenny Dalton-Hill and Kinkade as
assistant coaches, and Jorge Correa (Correa Pitching Academy) will serve as the
team’s pitching coach.

In addition, the Girls Camp will feature two teams with Oglesby serving as
manager of Team Red and Holmes leading Team Navy. Oglesby will be joined by
Pitching Coach Mendoza and assistant coaches Kelsie Whitmore and Koerner, while
Holmes will be assisted by Veronica Gajownik and Dalton-Hill with Correa leading
the pitching staff.

For more information on the Women’s NTDP and the first-ever Girls Camp, please
follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter or visit USABaseball.com.

The 2021 Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp staffs and their full bios are as follows:

* 2021 Women's National Team Development Program Staff
* (Name; Women's NTDP Position)
* Veronica Alvarez; Field Coordinator
* Lou Colon; Roving Instructor
* Jorge Correa; Stripes Pitching Coach
* Jenny Dalton-Hill; Stripes Assistant Coach
* Tamara Holmes; Stripes Manager
* Jarend Jones; Stars Assistant Coach
* Mike Kinkade; Stripes Assistant Coach
* Jim Koerner; Stars Assistant Coach
* Reynol Mendoza; Stars Pitching Coach
* Alex Oglesby; Stars Manager

* 2021 Girls Camp Staff
* (Name; Girls Camp Position)
* Veronica Alvarez; Field Coordinator
* Lou Colon; Roving Instructor
* Jorge Correa; Team Navy Pitching Coach
* Jenny Dalton-Hill; Team Navy Assistant Coach
* Veronica Gajownik; Team Navy Assistant Coach
* Tamara Holmes; Team Navy Manager
* Mike Kinkade; Roving Instructor
* Jim Koerner; Team Red Assistant Coach
* Reynol Mendoza; Team Red Pitching Coach
* Alex Oglesby; Team Red Manager
* Kelsie Whitmore; Team Red Assistant Coach

Veronica Alvarez will serve as the Field Coordinator for both the Girls Camp and
the Women’s NTDP in 2021. She became the first woman to be named the
organization’s Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year for her work at the helm of the
2019 Women’s National Team. Under her direction, Team USA finished its
tournament with a perfect 7-0 record and the program’s first gold medal since
the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The U.S. outscored its opponents 124-20, held a
cumulative .500 batting average, and hit a record 11 home runs en route to the
gold and being named USA Baseball’s 2019 Team of the Year. In addition to making
her managerial debut with the Women’s National Team in 2019, Alvarez also served
as an assistant coach on the 2018 staff and played for Team USA five times in
her career as a catcher. Her time with the red, white, and blue started in 2008
and every team she participated on medaled in international competition.

Since finishing her playing career in 2016, Alvarez has continued to help grow
women’s baseball as a coach at the Trailblazer Series from 2017-2019 and the
Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp in 2018 and 2019,
joining the collaboration between the Major League Baseball and USA baseball to
foster the next generation of female baseball players in the United States.
Additionally, Alvarez has served as a coach with the Oakland Athletics at Major
League Baseball Spring Training from 2019-2021 and has previously coached at the
USA baseball Women’s National Team Identification Series and the 2019 12U
National Open.

Lou Colon joins the 2021 Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp coaching staffs with over
25 years of coaching experience. He will serve as a roving instructor and
assistant coach throughout both events. Most recently, he served as a coach at
Drew University for nine seasons after joining the staff as an assistant in
2012. The fielding coach made an immediate impact with the Rangers as the team
ranked first in the Landmark Conference in field percentage with a .961 mark in
2014. Prior to his time at Drew, Colon was the head coach at Franklin High
School (Somerset, N.J.) and founded the Lou Colon National Infield Development
Clinics. He also played three seasons of professional baseball in the Baltimore
Orioles organization and two seasons in the Liga de Beisbol Professional de
Puerto Rico.

Jorge Correa will serve on staff as a pitching coach at both the Women’s NTDP
and the Girls Camp in 2021 after first working with the Women’s National Team
program in 2019. The Miami, Florida, native was selected in the ninth round of
the 1990 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and spent three years pitching in the
organization’s system before beginning his coaching career. He was the pitching
coach at Barry University from 2007-2010 and began serving as a mentor and guest
instructor in the Florida Marlins Inner City Youth Program in 2013. Currently,
Correa is the owner of the Correa Pitching Academy in Miramar, Florida, where he
trains and develops pitchers of all ages to help them grown and improve their
game and abilities.

Jenny Dalton-Hill joins the Women’s NTDP and Girls Camp staffs as an assistant
coach with over ten years of USA Baseball involvement under her belt. Her first
experience with Team USA came as a player on the 2010 Women’s National Team,
where she helped guide the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2010 International
Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s Baseball World Cup. After her playing career,
Dalton-Hill served as a coach for the Women’s NTDP in 2011 and 2014 as well as
for the Women’s National Team in 2012, helping to lead Team USA to an IBAF
Women’s Baseball World Cup silver medal. Currently a college softball analyst
for ESPN, a position she has held since 2013, Dalton-Hill was an All-American
softball player at the University of Arizona. She helped lead the Wildcats to
national championships in 1993, 1994, and 1996 and named the 1996 National
Player of the Year after winning the Pac-10 Conference Triple Crown in her
senior season. Dalton-Hill also served on the USA Baseball Board of Directors
from 2012-2020 and was a member of the Colorado Silver Bullets in 1997 where she
played under MLB Hall of Famer Phil Niekro.

Veronica Gajownik will make her USA Baseball coaching debut as an assistant
coach for Team Red at the 2021 Girls Camp staff. Currently working in player
development for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate, the Hillsboro Hops,
Gajownik first started her career with Team USA as a player on the 2015 Women’s
National Team. The Chuluota, Florida, native helped the U.S. win a gold medal at
the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games before joining the Liberty University
softball coaching staff in 2015 as a graduate assistant where she helped guide
the Lady Flames to a program-record 46 wins and a Big South regular-season title
in 2017. In 2017, she was named an assistant coach at the University of
Massachusetts where she worked until joining the Diamondbacks in 2021. Gajownik
has helped to grow women’s baseball since playing for Team USA as an instructor
at the virtual MLB Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational in 2020.

Seven-time Women’s National Team alum Tamara Holmes will manage Team Navy at the
Girls Camp and the Stripes squad at the Women’s NTDP in 2021 following a
distinguished playing career both domestically and internationally. She began
her career with Team USA as a member of the 2006 Women’s National Team that
earned the program’s second consecutive world championship at the International
Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women’s Baseball World Cup. Holmes followed that by
helping lead the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2010 World Cup and silver medals
at the 2012 and 2014 events before playing a key role in Team USA’s undefeated
run to gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. She was also a member of the 2016
Women’s National Team and earned USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year honors in
2012 and 2016. Prior to her time with Team USA, Holmes was a member of the
Colorado Silver Bullets in 1996 and hit the first and only home run in team
history. Holmes continues to guide the next generation of female baseball
players since finishing her playing career, serving as a coach at various MLB
and USA Baseball girls baseball development events including the Trailblazer
Series and the MLB GRIT Girls Baseball Identification Tour.

Jarend Jones will served as a Stars assistant coach at the 2021 Women’s NTDP.
Jones got his coaching career started at Bonita High School (La Verne, Calif.)
where he coached for three years before moving to Mt. San Antonio College and
served on the staff for two years. Most recently, Jones spent three years on the
coaching staff at Rancho Cucamonga High School (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.). 2021
marks Jones’ fourth consecutive year working with USA Baseball programming,
having served on coaching and task force staffs at the National Team
Identification Series (NTIS) and the 12U National Open since 2018. After
assisting with regional tryouts for the Southwest region of the NTIS, Jones
joined the 11U NTIS Task Force and assisted at the 12U National Open in 2019. He
was also a member of the 11U NTIS Task Force in 2021.

Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist Mike Kinkade brings a plethora of baseball
experience to the Women’s NTDP and Girls Camps staff in 2021. Kinkade was a
crucial member of the 2000 Olympic Team on its run to the gold medal, recording
a .207 average with six hits, three RBIs, and four runs scored in the
tournament. He made his second appearance in the red, white, and blue with the
2006 Olympic Qualifying Team where he hit .333 with a team-leading 11 RBIs.
Kinkade was selected in the 19th round of the 1994 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee
Brewers and made his big league debut with the New York Mets in 1998. In his
six-year Major League playing career, the Livonia, Michigan, native played in
222 games and collected a .256 batting average, 56 runs scores, 13 home runs,
and 48 RBIs. Following his playing career, Kinkade served as a member of the
Seattle Mariners’ minor league coaching staff from 2011-2014, including managing
the Peoria Mariners in 2012. He then coached the Whitman County American Legion
Program from 2016-2019 and was the head coach for Pullman High School (Pullman,
Wash.) from 2018-2019 before serving as an assistant coach at Cal State
University Bakersfield during the 2019-2020 season. Kinkade was also a member of
the coaching staff at the inaugural MLB Draft Combine in 2021.

USA Baseball Director of Player Development Jim Koerner will serve as an
assistant coach at both the 2021 Girls Camp and the Women’s NTDP. In his role as
Director of Player Development, Koerner is responsible for developing on-field
programming for USA Baseball’s six national teams and three national team
development programs. He also produces curriculums related to player development
for USABDevelops.com, the organization’s free online educational resource
center. Additionally, he assists with player and staff identification for all 10
clubs in the Appalachian League and serves as a roving instructor during the
season. Koerner was the head coach at North Carolina Central University (NCCU)
from 2011-2021. As just the second head coach in the program’s modern-day
history, Koerner took NCCU baseball to new heights in his 10 years at the helm.
Under his guidance, the Eagles set the school record for wins twice, in 2013
(27) and again in 2018 (28). He also coached two MLB Draft picks with NCCU,
including Corey Joyce, who became the highest selection in program history when
he was taken in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2019. Before his time at
NCCU, Koerner was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the
University of Buffalo from 2007-2011, helping the Bulls reach their best
offensive performances in program history in 2009 and 2010. The team recorded an
all-time high in wins since 1999 during the 2009 season and set the records for
team batting average (.312), home runs (46), and stolen bases (71) in 2010. In
those two seasons combined, the Bulls broke over 25 season, career, team, and
individual records. He began his coaching career in 2001 as the head coach at
Medaille College, where he helped found the program and was named the 2003 North
Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He broke into the Division I
ranks as an assistant at Monmouth University before a stint at Marshall
University.

Reynol Mendoza will serve as the pitching coach for Team Red and the Stars team
at the Girls Camp and the Women’s NTDP, respectively, after serving as the
Women’s National Team pitching coach in 2019. He was also named Team USA’s
pitching coach in 2020. Under his leadership, the 2019 pitching staff finished
with a collective 3.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 37 innings of work. He is
currently the head coach at Eagle Pass High School (Eagle Pass, Texas), where
the Eagles have made playoff appearances in each of the last fourteen seasons
and played in the regional finals in both 2013 and 2014. The Miami Marlins
selected Mendoza in the seventh frround of the 1992 MLB Draft and he spent seven
years in the Marles system, including three seasons at the Triple-A level.

Alex Oglesby, who was named an assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in
both 2019 and 2020, will serve as the Stars manager at the Women’s NTDP, as well
as the manager of Team Red at the Girls Camp. Oglesby was a member of the
inaugural Women’s National Team that won a gold medal at the IBAF Women’s
Baseball World Cup and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Prior to
representing the U.S., she played in the Ladies Professional baseball League and
was the youngest player when the league began in 1997. At just 17 years old,
Oglesby led the San Jose Spitfires to the league’s first World Series
Championship and was named both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the
Year for her efforts. She also helped form the California Women’s Baseball
League in 2002, where she earned MVP honors twice.

Six-time Women’s National Team alum Kelsie Whitmore will serve as an assistant
coach for Team Red at the USA Baseball Girls Camp in 2021. She was named to her
first national team in 2014 when she was just 16 years old and helped Team USA
earn a silver medal at the 2014 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)
Women’s Baseball World Cup. One year later, she played a key role from both the
plate and on the mound in Team USA’s undefeated run to a gold medal at the
Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The Temecula, California, native also played for the
2016, 2018, and 2019 squads, earning another gold medal with the U.S. at the
2019 COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships. In addition to her time with
Team USA, Whitmore has also played professional baseball as a member of the
Independent League’s Sonoma Stompers where she joined fellow Women’s National
Team alum Stacy Piagno as the first women to play for a professional men’s team
since the 1950s. Whitmore has joined the collaboration between MLB and USA
Baseball to help grow the future of women’s baseball as an instructor at various
development events, including the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series and the
Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational.

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ASHLEY BRATCHER NAMED GENERAL MANAGER OF 18U NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM

She will manage all aspects of the national team program, including 16U and 17U
NTDP and the PDP League
April 20, 2021
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CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named Ashley Bratcher General Manager of the 18U
National Team program. She will manage all aspects of the 18U National Team
program, including the 16U and 17U National Team Development Programs and the
Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League. Additionally, she will continue to
oversee the

> We are thrilled to announce that Ashley Bratcher has been named General
> Manager of @USABaseball18U 👏 #ForGlory🇺🇸
>
> MORE: https://t.co/JehGXIqoAa pic.twitter.com/v9Z2pmCALt
>
> — USA Baseball (@USABaseball) April 20, 2021

The 18U National Team program is a stalwart on the international stage. Winners
of eight world championships dating back to 1988, the 18U program has won 13
gold medals in its history, including eight consecutive from 2011-2018. Major
League Baseball (MLB) MVPs Bryce Harper, Eric Hosmer, Clayton Kershaw, Freddie
Freeman, Joe Mauer, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, and Alex Rodriguez have all
represented the U.S. in this program, and 71 alumni have been selected in the
first round of the MLB Draft since 2010.

"It is an exciting time for USA Baseball and that stems from naming Ashley
Bratcher as the General Manager for our 18U National Team,” said USA Baseball
Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “Ashley is eminently qualified for this
position. She is highly knowledgeable and very well respected within the game of
baseball, and we are incredibly excited for her to take responsibility and
ownership of this program. We know she will do a great job representing our 18U
National Team and our nation on the international stage."

“I am extremely honored to be named the General Manager for the 18U National
Team,” said Bratcher. “I have had a host of tremendous opportunities throughout
my career at USA Baseball that have prepared me for this new role. I look
forward to calling upon those experiences and the relationships I have
cultivated over the past twelve years to sustain and build upon the successful
history of the 18U program.”

The 2021 18U National Team will compete on its home soil for its ninth world
championship this September. For the first time since 1995, the United States
will host the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World
Cup. The event will take place September 10-19 in Bradenton and Sarasota,
Florida.

Bratcher joined USA Baseball in 2009 as an operations intern and was promoted to
the Director of Operations later in the same year. In that role, she ran
baseball camps, managed all operational needs at the USA Baseball National
Training Complex, and oversaw the Women’s National Team program. Bratcher was
elevated to Director of National Team Development Programs and Women’s National
Team in 2012 and was named Senior Director of Baseball Operations in 2015. For
the past six years she supervised the 12U, 15U, and Women’s National Team
programs, the 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP), the National Team
Identification Series (NTIS), the National Team Championships, and the 13U/14U
Athlete Development Program.

As the program director for the 15U National Team, Bratcher led the team to
three consecutive gold medals from 2017-2019, including its first world
championship in program history at the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup and
back-to-back gold medals at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Qualifier in 2017
and 2019. She also led the Women’s National Team to a gold medal in the
inaugural women’s baseball tournament at the Pan American Games in 2015 and a
gold medal at the 2019 COPABE Women's Pan-American Championships.

Additionally, she currently serves on the Steering Committee for the newly
acquired Appalachian League as part of the PDP and has been integral in its
daily operation as USA Baseball prepares for its inaugural season.

Bratcher graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a
degree in exercise and sports science. While at UNC, she worked with the 21-time
NCAA National Champion women's soccer program as both a team manager and camp
administrator. Bratcher also completed the Major League Baseball Scouting
Bureau’s scout development program in 2017.

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JIM KOERNER NAMED USA BASEBALL DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

He will develop on-field programming for national team and development programs
after 20 years as a college coach
April 13, 2021
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CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball announced today the hiring of Jim Koerner as its
Director of Player Development. Following 20 years of coaching at the collegiate
level, Koerner will now be responsible for developing on-field programming for
USA Baseball’s six national teams and three national team development programs.
He will

Koerner will also serve as the Field Coordinator at the Prospect Development
Pipeline League, the premier development and showcase experience for high school
draft prospects from Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, and the primary
identification event for the 18U National Team. Additionally, he will assist
with player and staff identification for all 10 clubs in the Appalachian League
and serve as a roving instructor during the season. Koerner will start with USA
Baseball following the 2021 college baseball season.

"We could not be more thrilled to have Jim joining USA Baseball as our Director
of Player Development,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO.
“His passion for our game and for developing young athletes is inspiring, and
the knowledge he has gained over two decades of coaching will be an invaluable
asset to all of the players and coaches that come through our programs. From our
national teams to the Prospect Development Pipeline League, the new MLB Draft
Combine, and the Appalachian League, Jim will be integral in ensuring all of our
athletes grow both on and off the field.”

“I am honored to accept this position with USA Baseball,” said Koerner. “This
organization represents a standard of excellence that is unmatched in the
amateur baseball world and one that I am excited to be a part of going forward.
I want to thank everyone involved in the process that helped make this
opportunity possible and I am excited to get started!”

Koerner has been the head coach at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) from
2011-2021. As just the second head coach in the program’s modern-day history,
Koerner took NCCU baseball to new heights in his 10 years at the helm. Under his
guidance, the Eagles set the school record for wins twice, in 2013 (27) and
again in 2018 (28). He also coached two MLB Draft picks with NCCU, including
Corey Joyce, who became the highest selection in program history when he was
taken in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2019. Koerner helped lead
NCCU’s transition to the NCAA Division I level in the Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference during the 2011-2012 season and has since coached 31 All-MEAC
selections, including the 2017 and 2019 MEAC Rookies of the Year and the 2018
and 2019 MEAC Players of the Year.

Before his time at NCCU, Koerner was an assistant coach and recruiting
coordinator at the University of Buffalo from 2007-2011, helping the Bulls reach
their best offensive performances in program history in 2009 and 2010. The team
recorded an all-time high in wins since 1999 during the 2009 season and set the
records for team batting average (.312), home runs (46), and stolen bases (71)
in 2010. In those two seasons combined, the Bulls broke over 25 season, career,
team, and individual records.

He began his coaching career in 2001 as the head coach at Medaille College,
where he helped found the program and was named the 2003 North Eastern Athletic
Conference Coach of the Year. In 2004, he moved to the Division I ranks as an
assistant coach at Monmouth University before taking the assistant coach and
recruiting coordinator role at Marshall University from 2005-2006. During that
time, Marshall ranked highly among NCAA teams in most offensive categories and
Koerner helped Adam Frederick break the program’s all-time hits record (250)
while also recruiting and signing several of the Top 100 rated players in the
Northeast.

Koerner received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1997 from St. John Fisher
College (N.Y.) and a master’s degree in athletic administration from Marshall
University.

For more information on USA Baseball, visit USABaseball.com and follow along on
Twitter @USABaseball.

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USA BASEBALL ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH BASEBALL MANUAL

The manual aims to assist coaches in providing a safe, positive,
development-based experience for athletes
April 9, 2021
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CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball announced today the development of its new Youth
Baseball Manual presented by US Sports Club Insurance. The manual aims to
support the thousands of youth baseball coaches around the country by providing
a positive, development-based experience to their athletes. The manual provides
coaches with a

The manual provides coaches with a fundamental framework to build an
athlete-focused culture within their leagues and is suited for both youth
leagues with longstanding traditions of on-field excellence, as well as for
leagues and coaches that are building a program from the ground up. Importantly,
the manual highlights health and safety resources to help ensure athletes are
provided with a safe and secure environment for play.

The Youth Baseball Manual presented by US Sports Club Insurance is available to
the public at no charge at www.USABDevelops.com or can be accessed directly at
YouthBaseballManual.com.

“We are proud to provide free support to youth baseball programs and to
thousands of volunteer coaches across the country with our new Youth Baseball
Manual,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO. “The importance
of community-based baseball programs in the development of our game cannot be
overstated, and USA Baseball is excited to help create a consistent framework
for those programs so that athletes can continue to learn and grow in a safe,
positive, and healthy environment.”

This initiative continues USA Baseball's reach into the amateur baseball
landscape and specifically reinforces its commitment to the proliferation of
community-based baseball in the United States. The manual boosts the youth
baseball experience and allows for the consistent development for any athlete,
regardless of their skill level.

Key concepts from the Youth Baseball Manual include:

* – The importance of emphasizing enjoyment of the game and the best interests
of the athletes.
* – How to create appropriate practice and game plans based on the USA Baseball
Long-Term Athlete Development Plan that enables maximum engagement, movement,
and physical activity.
* – The benefits of supporting athletes’ participation in multiple sports.
* – How to manage relationships within a program, including conflict resolution
techniques.
* – How to develop a positive team culture.
* – Best practices concerning health and safety.
* – How to keep the game fun.
*

For more information on the Youth Baseball Manual, and other similar educational
resources produced by USA Baseball, such as the Mobile Coach App, Long-Term
Athlete Development Plan and others, visit USABDevelops.com. All resources
produced by USA Baseball are provided free of charge to the public.

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MALAIKA UNDERWOOD: WRITING HER OWN STORY

Inspired by her daughters, ten-time Team USA alum Malaika Underwood wrote
"Birdie Can, Too!" based on her own journey in baseball
February 9, 2021
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Growing up, ten-time USA Baseball Women’s National Team alum Malaika Underwood
always knew she wanted to play baseball. “In my life there is no pre-baseball,”
Underwood said. “I’ve always loved baseball and it was the first sport that I
ever chose to play.” So, whether it was playing in rec

Growing up, ten-time USA Baseball Women’s National Team alum Malaika Underwood
always knew she wanted to play baseball.

“In my life there is no pre-baseball,” Underwood said. “I’ve always loved
baseball and it was the first sport that I ever chose to play.”

So, whether it was playing in rec league games, on a playground or even just at
a friend’s house, Underwood always found a way to play the game she loved. No
matter what.

But as she finished middle school and realized there weren’t really any
opportunities for girls to play baseball at the high school level, she had to
create her own opportunity. She knew she could excel at the next level, she just
needed a chance and, once again, she found a way.

Underwood wrote a letter to every high school coach in the San Diego area – not
asking for a spot on the team, just for a fair shot to try out. Luckily, Coach
Bob Allen at La Jolla High School gave her that shot.

Throughout tryouts, Underwood put a tremendous amount of pressure on herself to
succeed.

“I didn’t want to put myself on the line and fail, but you have to take those
risks if you’re going to achieve things in life,” Underwood said.

And that is exactly what she did: Underwood took a chance and it paid dividends.
She excelled at tryouts, earning a spot on the team, and with a double down the
right field line in a preseason game, Underwood became the first girl in San
Diego to ever play baseball at the high school level.

“I remember that moment so clearly it was that sense of relief and belonging on
the team,” Underwood recalled. “It was ‘Ok, I’ve got this.’”

She played baseball all four years at La Jolla High School. But since she knew
her future opportunities on the diamond were once again limited, she also played
basketball and volleyball, and with her incredible athleticism, she continued to
excel at it all. Eventually, Underwood earned a scholarship to play volleyball
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her time in Chapel Hill not only brought her great success on the court, but
also brought her closer to Cary, North Carolina, the home of USA Baseball and
her chance to get back on the base paths: the Women’s National Team.

Since reigniting her baseball career and making Team USA for the first time in
2006, Underwood has been named to a USA Baseball national team a record-10
times, which is more than any other alum – male or female. In that time,
Underwood has won four gold medals, helped Team USA to a world championship in
her first year with the squad in 2006, tied for the Women’s National Team single
game records in at-bats (6) and hits (5), and was named the USA Baseball
Sportswoman of the Year in 2015.

That’s not all Underwood has done since 2006, though; while playing baseball for
her country, she has also built a successful career, gotten married and had two
daughters. And now, Underwood has added children’s author to her long list of
accomplishments.

Her new book “Birdie Can, Too!” was inspired by her own journey within the game
of baseball – told through the eyes of her oldest daughter, Birdie.

As she began to read books to her daughter, Underwood realized that although
they were fine stories, she just couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be
more. Wanting Birdie to absorb as much meaningful language as possible, she got
the idea to write a story that shows you can achieve anything you set your mind
to if you work hard enough.

It was the idea to write her own story.

“If you do the work you can make it happen and that’s why I wrote the book,”
Underwood said. “I want it to be so engrained in [young girls] that they can
achieve anything that they don’t ever question that. I really truly believe that
seeing is believing. That you can accomplish something.”

And for Underwood, it even goes beyond that. The mindset and confidence lie with
the individual, but the progress that is happening and is still yet to be made
in baseball stretches nationwide.

“The game is accessible to everyone,” Underwood said. “And some of the progress
that’s being made at the grassroots level is really meaningful and will have a
lasting effect on our game.”

Underwood wants to continue that progress in communities across the country so
that young girls will have the same amount of opportunities as boys to get
started in baseball. As more opportunities present themselves, the number of
girls actively playing and pursuing the game will increase as well.

For Underwood, the goal is to empower girls to continue to play at any level.
And not only just to play, but to feel accepted in the game as well. That
confidence and sense of belonging is what she hopes her book instills in young
girls everywhere. She wants “Birdie Can, Too!” to serve as that initial building
block for girls in the game she loves.

“I hope this is the start of that message being more pervasive and I have a lot
of hope in that,” Underwood said, noting the recent advancements of Miami
Marlins General Manager Kim Ng, Vanderbilt football’s female kicker, Sarah
Fuller, and having the first woman as Vice President of the United States in
Kamala Harris.

“What I do also hope with this book is that we start to see advancements in
gender equity pick up speed. The things that I went through, I hope that my
daughters don’t have to go through,” she said.

Underwood’s advice to girls looking to follow in her footsteps is simple: “Do
the work. You have to prove every step of the way that you belong on that
baseball field.”

But while every athlete has to put in their own work to make it, Underwood also
knows the importance of finding advocates and friends along the way – like
Birdie. “You feel so much more empowered when you don’t feel so alone,” she
said.

Approaching her 40th birthday this year with four gold medals, a full-time
career with One Team Partners, two daughters and now a book that she hopes will
make an impact on her own daughters and anyone out there fighting to reach a
dream, Underwood has no interest in slowing down anytime soon.

This is just the start of her impact on the game she loves.

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USA BASEBALL SETS SIGHTS ON 2021

Olympic qualification and WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Florida highlight 2021
calendar
October 13, 2020
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CARY, N.C. – Following the successful completion of the inaugural National Team
Championships North Carolina in August, USA Baseball has shifted its focus to
2021 programming. Next year’s calendar is set to include 2021 Olympic Games
qualifying opportunities and hosting the World Baseball Softball Confederation
(WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup

The National Team Championships North Carolina marked the final event of 2020 as
the 15U and Women’s National Team Trials will not be held this year. Both the
15U and Women’s National Team programs were set to compete in the World Baseball
Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup and Women’s Baseball World
Cup, respectively; however, the events were postponed due to COVID-19.
Additionally, no regional identification events for the 2021 USA Baseball
National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup will be held in 2020.

“We are looking forward to a full slate of USA Baseball programming in 2021,
including opportunities to qualify for the Olympic Games, compete for world
championships and earn a gold medal on our home turf at the WBSC U-18 Baseball
World Cup in Florida,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler.
“This year, while challenging, has given us a chance to learn and develop as an
organization and we are excited for the opportunities presented to us to get
back into action in 2021 and continue developing young athletes both on and off
the field.”

A full schedule of USA Baseball’s 2021 events and national team programming will
be announced at a later date. The upcoming year will include the ninth annual
National High School Invitational (NHSI), as well as the Futures Invitational,
the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, and the National
Team Identification Series, among others.

Next year will also feature the 2021 Olympic Games, which are currently
scheduled to take place from July 23-August 8 in Tokyo, Japan. Team USA will
compete for one of two remaining spots in the Olympic Games baseball tournament.

For further information on USA Baseball national teams, events and philanthropic
efforts, follow @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART FOUR: THE CAREER COACH

August 21, 2020
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You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.

That's the common path for a player.

But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot
go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So,
what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?

It is a question we get asked a lot.

The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to
carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in
order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than
that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and
abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold
medal around their neck.

For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching
staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found
themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.

The Career Coach: Pitching Coach Adam Moseley

Adam Moseley is the head baseball coach at Hoover High School (Hoover, Ala.). As
of 2020 he has been leading a big-time high school baseball program for thirteen
years, spending the last six at Hoover. But his path to becoming a decorated
head coach was set much earlier in life.

A pitcher by trade, Adam played baseball at Birmingham Southern College. But the
on-field opportunity wasn't the main factor that drew him to the NAIA school; it
was a coach.

"I knew I wanted to coach when I was in high school," Adam remembered. "It
actually affected where I went to college. I wanted to play for someone who
really taught the game."

That someone was Coach Brian Shoop. Shoop built a program at Birmingham
Southern, turning the small school into an NAIA national champion and eventually
an NCAA Division I conference champion and NCAA tournament threat.

Moseley studied under Shoop both as a player and ex-player, returning to camps
to help out his mentor. He wanted to one day build his own program into a winner
the same way Shoop had.

"We talked coaching all the time," Adam remembered of his time as a collegiate
player. "He has been a constant source for me."

After graduating from Birmingham Southern in 1998, Adam started coaching high
school baseball while taking graduate school classes. After grad school he began
teaching and kept coaching before he eventually got a call from his hometown
school, Grissom High School.

Adam would join Grissom as an assistant coach for three years before he took
over the program. He led the Tigers for eight years and took the school to new
heights, reaching the Alabama state quarterfinals four times in five years and
an overall record of 224-153.

In 2014, Adam was hired to be the new head coach at Hoover High School. That
same year, he was contacted by then USA Baseball Director of Baseball Operations
Brooks Webb.

Why was Adam Moseley on USA Baseball's radar? He was an up-and-coming coach with
drive and passion for the game, he already owned a track record of success in a
major high school setting and was vouched for by a current USA Baseball coach,
David Sharp. He checked all the boxes.

Moseley's insight to USA Baseball came from his relationship with David Sharp,
the head coach of another big-time Alabama baseball program: Huntsville High
School (Huntsville, Ala.). Sharp had helped with several USA Baseball
identification events for the 12U National Team and shared his experiences with
Moseley, and also recommended the career coach to USA Baseball.

"Brooks Webb called me and asked if I was interested [in working with USA
Baseball]," Moseley remembered. "And I said yes, but I'd be a whole lot more
comfortable if the pitchers were 60 feet, six inches away from the plate and the
base paths were 90 feet apart."

Luckily, Webb was calling to fill a need at the National Team Championships in
Florida, specifically with the 14U and 17U tournaments. Adam admits his first
experience at a USA Baseball event was "a little overwhelming" due to the
pressure of helping select a national team and the 14-hour days in hot and humid
southern Florida. But, once he got settled in, it was "non-stop watching good
baseball and learning."

Even though he wasn't coaching, Adam was determined to work as hard as he could
at this new opportunity. His goal was to provide the best information possible,
and let his dedication and drive show through his work.

He loved it, but it wasn't coaching. And Adam Moseley is a coach. He had known
that since he was in high school.

The following year, even though it wasn't coaching, Adam once again returned to
the National Team Championships event in Florida to give his time and expertise
to USA Baseball and young players from across the country. And it was then that
he was asked to lend his services to the 14U National Team Development Program.

"I thought the National Team Development Program was the coolest thing ever,"
said Moseley. At the National Team Development Program he was back where he felt
most at home, back on the field coaching some of the most talented kids in the
country. This is where he belonged.

Being back on the field and spending time with these players was something Adam
took to heart. "I was there to coach pitchers, but I was there to coach them
about life as well," he said.

Adam continued to coach USA Baseball players about pitching and life and "The
USA Way" at any event he was asked to attend. And in 2017 he was named head
pitching coordinator for the 14U National Team Development Program.

"You look around at these players and you think, well they are going to win a
world championship next year," Moseley said. He didn't know it at the time, but
he would be right there with them when they did. It was the plan all along.

"It was clear during the 14U National Team Development Program that Adam was
meticulous and organized when it came to pitchers," said Ashley Bratcher, USA
Baseball Senior Director of Baseball Operations and the 15U National Team
program director. "He knew every detail about each player on the field and he
created a thorough and development plan for all of them.

"Making him the pitching coach on the 15U National Team in 2018 was one of our
easier decisions. He displayed an appreciation to the game, to his craft as a
pitcher and to developing the athletes that told us he was the right guy to for
the job. It is not an easy task to lead a pitching staff at a World Cup,
especially when you were still searching for your first world title, and his
experience and dedication to competing that helped lead our program to new
heights."

The pitching staff he led in the 2018 U-15 Baseball World Cup posted a combined
1.24 ERA in the nine-game tournament. They outscored their opponents 88-13 on
their way to winning the first U-15 Baseball World Cup in USA Baseball history.
Adam Moseley returned home from the first international trip of his life with a
gold medal.

That gold medal came just one year after he led the Buccaneers to an Alabama
State Championship in 2017. It's safe to say the high school player looking at
colleges knew exactly what he was meant to do with his life. He chose the right
path and USA Baseball is thankful for it.

Adam Moseley's story is the fourth and final story of a four-part series on "How
to Become a USA Baseball Coach." The remaining three stories of the series can
be found on USABaseball.com.

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HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART THREE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS

August 14, 2020
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By Alec Scercy, special to USA Baseball
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.That's the
common path for a player.But what about the
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot
go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So,
what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to
carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in
order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than
that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and
abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold
medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching
staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found
themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Alum With Unfinished Business: Assistant Coach Manny Crespo
In 1984, USA Baseball won silver at the Los Angeles Olympic Games and that team
was led by a southern California native, Mark McGwire. In 1984, Manny Crespo was
five years old. He still remembers the baseball card of a young Mark McGwire
sporting a USA-branded hat and jersey that put USA Baseball into the
consciousness of young Manny and many others.
Nine years later, a then 14-year-old Manny was invited to try out for Team USA,
just like the athletes he watched on the field during the Olympics in L.A., but
fate would not favor Manny during his first tryout.
"A couple days into Trials, I caught a line drive off my leg, and that pretty
much eliminated me for that year," Manny remembered. "But I got another shot.
And in 1997 I made the team."
He was drafted in the 12th round of the 1997 MLB Draft after his senior season
at Westminster Christian, but elected to forego his immediate professional
opportunity to instead attend the University of Miami.
In the Fall of 1997, Manny was selected to the 18U National Team. He played in
five of the six games at the Junior World Championships, where he batted .365
and hit a pair of home runs. But, the team had to settle for a bronze medal.
The following school year, Manny headed to campus to play for the University of
Miami where he enjoyed a decorated career where he was Freshman of the Year and
a two-time All-American. And in 1999, he achieved another career milestone as
the Hurricanes won the College World Series. Manny was named to the
All-Tournament Team.
But the College World Series celebration was short-lived, because the next
morning Manny was on a plane to join his new teammates on the 1999 Collegiate
National Team.
Another year, a new team, similar results for Manny. He batted .320 with a pair
of homers over 17 games with Team USA. But with no World Cup that season, a gold
medal still eluded him.
1999 would be Manny's last season representing USA Baseball on the field as a
player, but, according to Manny, "Once you're a USA guy, you're always a USA
guy."
Over the next ten years, life happened to Manny Crespo. After a few minor league
seasons, he left the game of baseball and became a teacher. Baseball was no
longer a part of his professional life, until 2009 when another Hurricanes
baseball alum asked Manny to help out coaching baseball at Gulliver Prep.
That Gulliver Prep head coach was Javy Rodriguez, and Manny joined his staff as
an assistant. But Javy had a side gig as well. He had been working on the task
force at the USA Baseball National Team Championships for a few years.
By 2014, Manny had been coaching alongside Javy for five years, all the while
hearing stories of the talent he had seen while coaching at USA Baseball events.
Already familiar with the organization, Manny decided he wanted an opportunity
to return USA Baseball, and give back some of the lessons he learned, so he
joined Javy to help out at the National Team Championships in 2014.
"I never won gold as a player, so in the back of my mind I think it was always
there. I always wanted to come back. And I was happy to give back to an
organization that provided so much for me," said Manny.
Back in the fold with USA Baseball, Manny was hooked again.
After helping out at the National Team Championships, Manny made it clear he
wanted to help with any event or team that his help was needed. Over the next
couple of years, he returned to the National Team Championships and also helped
out at the National Team Identification Series (NTIS).
His next step up the ladder came in 2016 when USA Baseball Senior Director of
Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher needed an extra coach at the Women's
National Team Trials, preferably one with catching experience.
Manny was the fit.
"Having been a player himself, Manny knew what it took to play for Team USA and
the honor associated with getting to wear the uniform," recalled Bratcher "He is
as passionate about the experience as anyone. He wanted to help players not just
realize their dream of playing for Team USA, but to see them win for their
country.
"He didn't care if they were women, 15-year-olds or professional athletes."
"That experience…" Manny said. "I would recommend it to anybody."
Getting on the field and coaching this group of women as they worked to get
selected to the USA Baseball Women's National Team put Manny in an even smaller
tier of coaches aiming to be a USA Baseball coach. He was on the short list of
possible national team coaches and his willingness to coach any age group and
any team only increased his odds to put that USA jersey on again and go for the
gold medal he just missed out on as a player.
In preparation for the 2017 USA Baseball season, the baseball operations staff
was putting together collections of coaches that made sense for each age group.
The 14U National Team Development Program prospects looked to be immensely
talented, good enough to challenge for a first World Cup title for the 15U
National Team the following year.
So, who would be given the reigns to help groom these boys at age 14 towards a
possible World Cup showing the following year? Manny Crespo was one of those
coaches selected to coach at the 14U NTDP that season.
"Manny is a player's coach, it is as simple as that. He brings an successful
baseball background to the field that athletes of any age can relate to. His
selection to that coaching staff was a no-brainer," said Bratcher.
Throughout that 2017 14U NTDP, relationships were built with his fellow coaches,
trust was established and players' talents flourished. And heading into the 2018
season and the U-15 Baseball World Cup, Manny was ultimately one of four coaches
selected to lead the 15U National Team and go to Panama, once again putting him
in the grasp of winning a gold medal.
"I was in Panama, the birthplace of my mother, playing against Panama for the
World Championship," Manny remembered. "That's when it got surreal."
The 15U National Team in 2018 had a motto: Leave no doubt. And the team did just
that. The team outscored their opponents 88-13 over nine games, bringing the
WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup championship to the United States for the first
time in history.
It was the gold medal-dream finally realized for Manny Crespo. A gold
medal-dream that he was able to share with his fellow coaches and with a group
of kids still beginning their baseball careers.
Manny Crespo's story is the third of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA
Baseball Coach." The final story of the series will be released on
USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.
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HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART TWO: THE SCOREKEEPER

August 7, 2020
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By Alec Scercy, special to USA Baseball
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.That's the
common path for a player.But what about the
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot
go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So,
what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to
carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in
order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than
that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and
abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold
medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching
staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found
themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Scorekeeper: Assistant Coach Troy Gerlach
Troy Gerlach is the head baseball coach at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale,
Arizona. Before that, he held the same position at Arcadia High School in
Phoenix. Being around the game his entire life, Troy was drawn to USA Baseball
and what it represented as the leading youth baseball federation in the country
and the world. He needed to be a part of it, and he'd be honored to help in any
way possible. Literally.
In 2012, USA Baseball needed a scorekeeper at the National Team Championships in
Arizona. For Troy, living and coaching close by, it seemed like an easy fit.
Troy was an astute scorekeeper, keeping track of players that impressed him and
putting down hand written notes on a separate sheet of paper. He wanted to have
information at the ready in case any scouts came by asking for his input. So he
wrote down pop times and velocity numbers that stood out among all these players
fighting for the opportunity to play for a national team.
And those scouts did come by, asking Troy if any players caught his eye
throughout the day that started at 7:00 a.m. and featured 110-degree heat
beating down from the Arizona sun.
"I had this stuff all written down. Guys would look at it and I think just
having that info down and knowing that I was putting in that effort, when I told
them 'Hey there is this guy over here, he looks pretty good,' I think they
trusted that I did know what I was talking about and they would go check him
out."
The scouting bug had caught Troy, and he wanted to help in an even more direct
way. One day, atop the field tower, Senior Director of Baseball Operations
Ashley Bratcher was talking to Troy about what he had seen that week. During the
conversation, Troy told Ashley he was honored to do anything USA Baseball wanted
him to do, but if there was ever an opportunity to do more, to scout one of the
tournaments, he would love a shot.
"Troy expressed to me that he would like to help out with scouting or be on a
task force if there was ever an opportunity. So, the last week of the
tournament, something happened with one of the guys who was supposed to scout
that week and so we had an opening. I asked Troy if he wanted to do it,"
Bratcher remembered.
For one tournament, Troy had graduated from scorekeeper to scout. A tournament
of 14-year-old ball players working to be seen by the right scout, to get
invited to that next step, to have a chance to put on a jersey that read U-S-A
across the front. And as one of those scouts, Troy had a similar opportunity.
"I think I wrote every single thing down that week. I was in panic mode. I
didn't want to screw this up," said Troy.
At these tournaments, each scout on the USA Baseball task force handles one
field per day. Watching four games each day, scouting all eight teams at once.
At the end of the day, the four members of the task force get together with
national team coaches and USA Baseball personnel to discuss their day's worth of
findings.
"The other guys said he did a great job and that he was fully committed, so the
next year, instead of hiring him as a scorekeeper, we hired him back as a
scout," said Bratcher.
A week of scouting turned into a year of scouting, which turned into years of
scouting. From National Team Championships to National Team Identification
Series (NTIS) to National Team Development Programs (NTDP) to National Team
Trials, Troy kept up with the grind and never lost passion for the gig, the
players, and the ultimate goal of winning a World Cup.
And then in 2017, Troy was asked to be on the staff for the 14U NTDP. Also
working the NTDP that year, Jason Maxwell, who would go on to be named the
manager of the 2018 15U National Team.
"The relationships we built in that 14U National Team Development Program year,
those relationships played a huge role in winning the World Cup," Maxwell said
of the two-year process. And those relationships went from coach to player,
player to player, and coach to coach. "When Ashley had asked me to be the
manager for the World Cup team, she asked who I wanted to be the coaches, and
the three coaches we took came from that National Team Development Program."
Passion. Hard work. Selflessness. Relationships. These things are invaluable to
a coach on a journey to becoming a representative of USA Baseball, and all are
attainable for anyone that has that dream. Doesn't matter if you are a former
big leaguer, or a former scorekeeper.
Troy Gerlach's story is the second of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA
Baseball Coach." The remaining two stories of the series will be released on
USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.
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HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART ONE: THE HANDSHAKE

July 31, 2020
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By Alec Scercy, special to USA Baseball
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.That's the
common path for a player.But what about the
You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best.
You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to
represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot
go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So,
what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to
carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in
order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than
that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and
abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold
medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching
staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found
themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Handshake: Manager Jason Maxwell
Jason Maxwell played professional baseball for 12 years, started a high school
program from scratch in Tennessee, and went on to lead Team USA to their
first-ever U-15 Baseball World Cup title. But how did Maxwell get his start with
USA Baseball? From the way he tells it: A handshake.
"You never know what a handshake will mean down the road." This is a philosophy
Jason lives by and instills in his two sons. And it is a philosophy that set
Jason on a path to what he calls his 'number one without a doubt' personal
achievement in the game of baseball.
The handshake in this instance was with Jan Weisberg. Jan is the head coach of a
college program that was recruiting one of Jason's high school players back in
2013. That college program was Birmingham-Southern, which was also the alma
mater of Brooks Webb, former Senior Director of Baseball Operations at USA
Baseball.
One day, Brooks called his former college manager asking if he knew of any
coaches that showed the heart and ability to join the newest crop of USA
Baseball coaches.
Jan sent him to Jason Maxwell.
Jason started his USA Baseball coaching career where most coaches do, working as
a member of the task force at the National Team Championships and the National
Team Identification Series. Hundreds of kids packed into ballparks across the
country, all with the same goal as each other, all with the same goal as Jason
Maxwell: A chance to represent the United States of America.
His passion for the game and his drive to help these young athletes reach their
potential was obvious to everyone around him. Jason was suddenly at any event
USA Baseball needed an extra hand.
After three short years, he was named to his first national team staff, and
traveled to Japan as an assistant coach with the 2016 15U National Team. The
team placed third in the tournament. But Jason left wanting more.
In 2017 Jason was named the field manager for the 14U National Team Development
Program (NTDP). A group of young players stacked with talent. Enough to have a
chance at history, to be the first team in U.S. history to bring home the U-15
World Cup championship the following year.
Over the next two summers, Jason led that group of young athletes, helped them
develop and earned their trust. And in 2018, history was made.
"When you are standing in another country with a gold medal around your neck,
and the national anthem starts to play," Jason remembered. "There is nothing
like it."
From a handshake, to a phone call, to a gold medal.
Now if this sounds like fate, and something impossible for an everyday coach,
that is not the case. Yes, Jason played big league baseball, but Jason was the
head coach of a team coming off a 13-16 record when he received that phone call.
A moment in which his first instinct was 'Just let it ring. We aren't going to
be in the National High School Invitational' when he saw that his caller ID read
"USA Baseball."
But the call was for him. Because his passion, drive and ability were obvious to
anyone around him. Obvious to Jan Weisberg, then obvious to Brooks Webb and
eventually obvious to new Senior Director of Baseball Operations at USA
Baseball, Ashley Bratcher, who served as the program director for the world
championship 15U National Team in 2018.
"Jason epitomizes the character, leadership and personal qualities we look for
to be a USA Baseball national team coach," said Bratcher. "In every facet of his
life, both personal and professional, he does everything the right way and is a
perfect representation of our game, our organization and our country.
"Without a doubt, he was truly an obvious and deserving choice to lead a USA
Baseball national team and it was an honor to witness his direct impact on our
athletes and his fellow coaches on the 2018 squad. It surprised nobody whom has
ever had the privilege of working with him that he led our 15U National Team to
unprecedented heights, winning its first-ever world championship title."
Every coach makes connections every day. And you never know what a handshake
will mean down the road. And you'll never know when the right impression on the
right person might lead to glory.
Jason Maxwell's story is the first of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA
Baseball Coach." The remaining three stories of the series will be released on
USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.
View More
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USA BASEBALL UPDATES 2020 ON-FIELD SCHEDULE

The 10U Futures Invitational and 11U/13U Futures Series have been cancelled
July 20, 2020
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CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball announced today that the 10U Futures Invitational
scheduled for August 6-9 at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina, and the
11U and 13U Futures Series scheduled for August 28-30 in Irvine, California,
have been cancelled. These events will not be rescheduled.Additionally, the
organization has
CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball announced today that the 10U Futures Invitational
scheduled for August 6-9 at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina, and the
11U and 13U Futures Series scheduled for August 28-30 in Irvine, California,
have been cancelled. These events will not be rescheduled.
Additionally, the organization has postponed hosting the 15U and Women's
National Team Trials until the fall. The Trials dates are still to be determined
and will be announced at a later time. The World Baseball Softball
Confederation's U-15 and Women's Baseball World Cups are currently scheduled to
take place in Mexico from October 30-November 8 and November 11-21,
respectively.
USA Baseball continues to closely monitor the ongoing situation regarding the
coronavirus pandemic and is diligently evaluating the status of the remaining
events on its 2020 calendar. All decisions on events will be made in as timely
of a manner as possible in accordance with government-mandated guidelines and
with respect to the safety and well-being of all the participating athletes,
coaches and fans.
At this time, the 2020 National Team Championships North Carolina is still
scheduled to begin on July 27 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in
Cary, North Carolina.
For further information on USA Baseball events, follow @USABaseball on Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter.
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A LIFETIME ON THE DIAMOND: VERONICA ALVAREZ'S BASEBALL JOURNEY

Part one of a two-part feature on the five-time Women's National Team player and
two-time manager's path from discovering her love of baseball to her quest for a
world championship
June 19, 2020
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By Emily Fedewa
Veronica Alvarez's experience in baseball hasn't always been easy or
straightforward. There has been adversity; there have been detours; there have
been more than a few nay-sayers. But none of that has ever mattered. She has
never been deterred because as far as she's concerned baseball is where she
belongs,

Veronica Alvarez's experience in baseball hasn't always been easy or
straightforward. There has been adversity; there have been detours; there have
been more than a few nay-sayers.

But none of that has ever mattered. She has never been deterred because as far
as she's concerned baseball is where she belongs, no matter the obstacles.

"I'm a woman in this male-dominated world, but I honestly feel comfortable
there," Alvarez said. "There's nowhere I'm more comfortable than on a baseball
field."

That comfort comes naturally - Alvarez knew early on she was meant to be a
baseball player - but it also comes from a lifetime on the diamond as a student
of the game she loves.

BASEBALL BEGINNINGS

Even at just five years old, it was obvious to everyone - including, and maybe
most, to Alvarez herself - that she belonged on a diamond of dirt surrounded by
a sea of grass.

She said no to the ballet classes her parents suggested. Instead, she was a
staple at her older brother's baseball games, taking it all in and being a part
of the action however she could.

"I just wanted to play no matter what from the beginning. I don't know why I had
this love for the game but it was there and it was real," Alvarez recalled. "I
remember my brother started playing before me and I was all about being the bat
girl. I just wanted to be there.

"Then I was the one that wanted to practice. As I got older, I was the one out
there throwing balls against the garage door and hitting into our net for hours.
I absolutely loved it from the beginning and the love just grew and grew and
grew."

When she finally got her chance, her passion and immediate love for the game
wasn't all she had going for her. She also had talent and the combination meant
she could not easily be written off.

"I remember it being a big deal that I was going to try out," she said. "And
they tried to kind of dismiss me but then I threw the ball from third base and
they were like, 'oh, can't dismiss her!'"

Her arm strength at a young age was impressive and it not only earned her the
spot on the team, but also the respect of her coaches and peers. She knew she
belonged there and it didn't take long before everyone else knew it too.

During her early playing days, Alvarez spent time at third and on the mound but
there was one position that called her name. So, when the team needed a catcher
one fateful afternoon, she raised her hand and never looked back.

"One day, our coach said 'we need someone to catch' and my mom was shaking her
head but she couldn't fight it," Alvarez laughed. "She couldn't fight it. I
couldn't fight it. I was meant to be a catcher."

From then on, Alvarez could be found behind the plate - even when she eventually
made the switch to softball like so many young girls do.

She never felt as though she was forced out of baseball and into softball though
- in fact, she is quick to defend the other sport that gave her so many
opportunities.

Because of softball, Alvarez received a full-ride scholarship to Villanova and a
chance to continue playing during a summer in Spain after graduation. It was
that summer abroad that truly hammered home to her that she could not - like so
many athletes must do after college - just stop playing.

But the sport she really wanted to keep playing? Baseball, of course.

"When I came back (from Spain), I started working for the public school system
at a desk job and I was sitting there and all I could think was 'I have to play
baseball somehow,'" Alvarez said. "So, I started googling and it eventually
linked me to USA Baseball."

She had just missed the 2006 Women's National Team which had recently returned
from the World Cup with a gold medal, but a connection was made and when the
next try-out was announced a couple years later, Alvarez quickly made her way to
Kenosha, Wisconsin, without a second thought.

And just like that, her baseball journey was back on track.

THE TEAM USA PATHWAY

When she booked her trip to the USA Baseball Women's National Team try-out in
Wisconsin, Alvarez had only her favorite movie, A League Of Their Own, as a
reference point for what to expect.

While this tournament wasn't quite the same, there were some aspects that
reminded Alvarez of the film - not the least of which was actually getting to
meet and interact with members of the original All-American Girls Professional
Baseball League during the event.

But the biggest similarity was her reaction to finally seeing all the athletes.
Like the film's protagonists, Alvarez was shocked to see just how many women
who, like her, had a passion for playing baseball.

"(The tournament) was phenomenal. It was the first time that I saw that many
women playing baseball in one place," she recalled. "It blew my mind. I had no
idea - as so many girls and women still have no idea - that something like that
existed."

Not only did it exist, but she was getting a chance to be part of it and she did
not let the chance pass her by.

Alvarez excelled at the event and was chosen to represent the U.S. on the 2008
Women's National Team at the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Women's
World Cup in Matsuyama, Japan, where she helped Team USA win a bronze medal.

"Wearing the USA jersey and being able to represent the United States in
international competition is indescribable," Alvarez said. "Standing for the
national anthem with that jersey on, there's nothing that compares to it.

"I'm a first-generation American citizen and the United States provided so much
for my family, so playing for the national team and representing the country in
that way was the ultimate goal for me."

And 2008 was just the start.

She went on to play on four more national teams, earning another bronze medal
and a silver medal at the IBAF Women's World Cups in 2010 and 2012,
respectively. She was also a member of the 2015 Women's National Team that
claimed gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

"Kenosha, Wisconsin, was the beginning of an epic career in baseball," Alvarez
said. "I really appreciate that moment because that's what kickstarted all of
this. I am so lucky to have extended my career after college into my thirties -
a lot of people don't have that chance."

It was a career that gave her friendships, experiences and memories of a
lifetime, but eventually, it was time for the next chapter.

Following the 2016 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's Baseball
World Cup, Alvarez made the difficult decision to retire from playing. But while
she knew it was the right choice, she was not willing to say goodbye to
baseball, or Team USA, entirely.

So, when another opportunity to extend her baseball career came in the form of
coaching, Alvarez - once again - jumped at the chance.

"Making that decision (to retire) was heartbreaking and really hard for me. A
lifetime of playing, a lifetime of doing something I love, had come to an end,"
Alvarez said. "But once I came to terms with it, it allowed me to turn the page
and go all-in to coaching."

And go all in she did, coaching at every joint USA Baseball and MLB event she
could from the Trailblazer Series to the Girls Breakthrough Series, and at the
Women's National Team Identification Series, before finally being chosen for the
2018 Women's National Team coaching staff.

"Putting on that jersey as part of the staff meant so much because it was
progress," Alvarez said. "We've had women on the Women's National Team coaching
staff before but not that many so it was an honor to get to help lead our team."

In her role on the staff, Alvarez was able to hone her ability to see the bigger
picture and truly make the transition from player to coach.

It was an invaluable experience that allowed her to learn the game in a
different way and prepared her for her next challenges - like getting a chance
to coach at MLB Spring Training with the Oakland Athletics. Or write the Women's
National Team lineup instead of appearing in it.

"I think I'll look back on my time with (the 2018 Women's National Team) staff
as a big part of my progress," she said. "Without that experience, I wouldn't
have been mentally ready to, and confident in, approaching an opportunity like
the one I got with the Oakland A's - or the one I got to lead Team USA."

This is part one of a two-part feature on five-time Women's National Team player
and two-time manager, Veronica Alvarez.

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* HUGO WALK-OFF HOMER CAPS BIG WIN FOR STRIPES AT WNTDP

* STRIPES CLINCH WNTDP SERIES WITH TWO-HIT SHUTOUT OF STARS

* GAMEDAY: STARS AND STRIPES SET TO FACE OFF IN WNTDP FINALE

* STARS CLAIM FIRST VICTORY IN GAME THREE OF WNTDP SERIES

* GAMEDAY: STRIPES LOOK TO CLINCH WNTDP SERIES ON WEDNESDAY

* STRIPES USE EARLY OFFENSE TO SECURE 6-1 VICTORY OVER STARS

* GAMEDAY: WOMEN'S NTDP KICKS OFF STARS VS. STRIPES SERIES

* USA BASEBALL REVEALS 2021 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ROSTER

* USA BASEBALL NAMES 2021 WOMEN'S NTDP, GIRLS CAMP STAFFS

* ASHLEY BRATCHER NAMED GENERAL MANAGER OF 18U NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM

* JIM KOERNER NAMED USA BASEBALL DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

* USA BASEBALL ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH BASEBALL MANUAL

* MALAIKA UNDERWOOD: WRITING HER OWN STORY

* USA BASEBALL SETS SIGHTS ON 2021

* HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART FOUR: THE CAREER COACH

* HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART THREE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS

* HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART TWO: THE SCOREKEEPER

* HOW TO BECOME A USA BASEBALL COACH - PART ONE: THE HANDSHAKE

* USA BASEBALL UPDATES 2020 ON-FIELD SCHEDULE

* A LIFETIME ON THE DIAMOND: VERONICA ALVAREZ'S BASEBALL JOURNEY

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